BlueLion.

Frank Lampard yesterday again underlined the fact he is the greatest player in the history of Chelsea Football Club - this time by netting his 200th Blues goal. A further two goals will see the England midfielder equal the legendary Bobby Tambling's club-record haul of 202; a third strike before the season's climax, however, would see Lampard assert himself as the Blues' out-and-out top goalscorer, despite playing from midfield. Lampard attributes his incredible goal-getting ability to his fitness - and the Blues star's 200th goal came in his 595th competitive match for the club, at a record just better than one in every three games. It may be twice an irony that his double-tonne came against first his former employers, West Ham United (whose own fans celebrated when the young star broke his leg at the turn of the century), and was scored with a firmly-planted header; somewhat of a rarity for our number 8. Indeed, Lampard's headed effort in front of the Shed End on Sunday was only his seventeenth headed goal for the club, working out at just 8.5% of his total Chelsea goal tally. As you would expect, it is with his right foot that he has been most prolific with, netting 81% (162) of his goals for the club with his preferred foot. Having taken 54 penalties in regulation time (ergo, excluding penalty shoot-outs) and scoring 47 (at a conversion rate of 0.87), it perhaps comes as no surprise that one of the Chelsea man's most frequent goal-types is from the spot. But here we dispel one of the great Frank Lampard myths; only 23.5% of his 200 goals have come from the spot, meaning the rest have all come from either free-kick scenarios, or from open play. "He only scores deflected goals" is the cry from many a jealous rival fan. Again, incorrect. In 2006, the Guardian published an article suggesting that only 8% (a poultry six) of his then 73 goals for the club had been deflected. Taking the next 127 goals into account, only nine of these were deflected efforts - meaning a grand total of fifteen (7.5%) of Frank Lampard's goals for Chelsea have been deviated by a deflection. Even if you take his 47 penalties out of the equation, fifteen deflections from 153 still means that Lampard nets 10.2 "clean" strikes for every one deflected effort - so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Lampard's proficiency in front of goal also produces a stunning statistic: 59% of his efforts on goal are on target. And when does Lampard most often profit with a goalscoring return? The answer is between the 75th minute and the full-time whistle, where he has scored on 46 occasions. More startlingly, however, 29 of these 46 goals in the last fifteen minutes have been game-winning efforts (as defined by him netting the second goal in a 2-1 win, for instance, rather than merely the third in a 3-0 win, etc.)! But despite his trademark late, late show, Frank has also been the opening scorer for the Blues on 41 different occasions, and in 30 different matches has he been the sole Chelsea goalscorer (this includes games where has has scored multiple goals; most famously in that 2-0 win at the Reebok Stadium over Bolton Wanderers in 2005...). And speaking of Bolton, they - along with Aston Villa - are Lampard's favourite opponents. Having netted a dozen times against both, it means that the Trotters and the Villains are responsible for 24 goals of his double-century. Blackburn and Portsmouth are his next-favourite opponents (having scored ten times against both), whilst he has been the scourge of rivals Fulham and Tottenham (9 goals each), Liverpool and Manchester City (7 goals), Manchester United (6 goals), and Arsenal and West Ham United (5 goals) on multiple occasions - at the same time as ruffling the feathers of some of Europe's big guns (he has three goals apiece against Barcelona and Bayern Munich). Besides the Blues' main domestic rivals, he also has enjoyed success against Everton with nine goals, Sunderland and Wigan (seven) and Newcastle, Southampton, and West Brom (six) in particular. All in all, Lampard has scored against 52 different clubs (as arranged by the number of times he has scored against them): Aston Villa (12) Bolton Wanderers Blackburn Rovers (10) Portsmouth Everton (9) Fulham Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool (7) Manchester City Sunderland Wigan Athletic Manchester United (6) Newcastle United Southampton West Bromwich Albion Arsenal (5) Stoke City West Ham Derby County (4) Norwich City Barcelona (3) Bayern Munich Charlton Athletic Ipswich Town Leicester City Macclesfield Town Reading Wolverhampton Wanderers Birmingham City (2) Blackpool Huddersfield Town Lazio Watford Wycombe Wanderers Anderlecht (1) Atlético Madrid Benfica Bordeaux Brentford Crystal Palace Fenerbahce Hull City Leeds United Levski Sofia Middlesbrough AS Monaco Napoli Olympiacos Sheffield United Southend United Valencia C.F. Viking Stavanger So we know who he loves scoring against - but what is his favourite goalscoring stomping ground? Well, besides the Bridge - obviously - where has has scored an incredible 115 times, Lampard's next-favourite place to score a goal or two is, quite fittingly, the Reebok Stadium (seven goals). Goodison Park ranks third on the list, where he has registered five strikes (including two this season). Lampard is also partial to visit to Wembley, where he has scored on four different visits. As the Blues' all-time top goalscorer in the league with 138 and in the FA Cup with a phenomenal 26, Lampard will surely go down as one of the Chelsea greats. But with Bobby Tambling's record in his sights and a potential 15 games remaining this season (based on Europa League and FA Cup progression to the Amsterdam ArenA and Wembley finals), time is surely on Frank's side as he guns for immortality in the blue of Chelsea. Manchester United may already have the league already wrapped up according the most sports.bwin.com/premier-league and the indignity of losing to Swansea in the League Cup semi-finals isn't something that will be quickly remedied; but a top-three finish and a piece of silverware would be a welcome return in this season of transition. And you'd certainly back Lampard to have his say as the Blues go out on a three-pronged-assault in the FA Cup, the Europa League and the Premier League. He isn't called Super Frank for nothing! Click here to view the article

Should change the title to "Lamps will reach 300 goals" at this rate, ridiculous.

Coming from 0-2 down at Old Trafford to force a replay; getting through to ANOTHER European quarter-final (our third in three seasons); and now beating WEST HAM in a LONDON DERBY with Lampard netting his 200th goal and Hazard committing the closest thing legally possible to rape (with the use of a football). Fantastic week, The fight is back, the determination is back and more important the belief is back. And suddenly, as a fan, my pride is back. Absolutely jubilant today - I don't normally wear football shirts out and about but I'll be wearing one at uni today.

SO gay for him right now.

He can fuck off then. Even Ronaldo isn't paid that much.

Sorry, has the IQ level around here just suddenly flat-lined? Stop the fucking bitching and just discuss the match.

No, I've changed it twice... Jim and David thought it would be funny to change it to various things including CuntFeatures and Ho Ho Ho BlueLion. On another note, Matthew and Raphael, I've changed your display names. Log-in names stay the same.

Just sounds like a literal club world cup - which I wouldn't actually be opposed to. Let's just not have top-flight football for one season and have one big fucking knockout tournament! Sounds like an exciting idea but it would never be ratified by FIFA. It would basically demean the entire competitive pyramid of national football for a couple of years.

Stats only show half of the story, mind. You can't really compare Rooney and RVP - but right now, as goalscoring centre-forwards, RVP is doing a more emphatic job, which would suggest his superiority at this very moment. However Rooney is an incredibly versatile player and his vision is underrated. He has a good range of passing and is as creative a player that England have had since Gazza.

Yeah that home shirt looks like the 09/10 kit but with the yellow piping from 08/09 and the 11/12 two-tone stripes. A fake, I think.

Hey mate! Hope you're doing well! Sounds like you're having an amazing time! Great to see you pop in though pal, the place isn't the same without you!

Bitch you are cruising for a bruising!

Fuck off you prick! Oh wait, you were joking.... Welcome! Stay active, post well, and slag off Steve as often as you can and you'll safely be in my good-books

Well it was about time your contribution was widely recognised, even if your favourite player is David Luiz! Well done to Peace, though! Thoroughly deserved!

Torres, Benayoun and Hazard cost this club £92 million. I wouldn't even pay a tenth of that for all three based on yesterday's performances. Horrid.

Every time he touches the ball, a kitten dies somewhere. Stop Torres, stop animal abuse,

Wrote very quickly, and in the heat of the moment. A lot of frustration (and alcohol) in there. I'll no doubt read it tomorrow and want to take it it down, but I do feel very strongly that the root cause of our problems lies with the players. They're getting paid shitloads regardless of how they play, and with Benitez in charge but announcing he is leaving in May, what incentive do they have to play for? They get paid no matter what, and as long as the manager's authority can be challenged by the likes of Terry and Cech, this club will continue to suffer from the cancer that is player power.

Chelsea Football Club may indeed be the incumbent European champions, but on this evidence, they may well be the worst team to hold that title in living memory. A toiling performance against Steaua Bucharest - one full of lethargy - gave the general impression of the players being devoid of any actual interest but their considerable weekly salaries. Blame Rafael Benitez all you like, but this Chelsea team is utterly soulless. Even with the famous Cech-Terry-Lampard spine to the side that has stood steadfast despite managers and playing personnel changing at Roman Abramovich’s apparent leisure, the Blues seemed totally lost. To describe this latest showing as lacklustre would in fact be somewhat complimentary. After struggling past Sparta Prague in the previous round, we should not have expected anything different. Against the Czech side, a team that offered far less than recent FA Cup opponents Middlesbrough and even Brentford, it took a last-minute wonder-goal from substitute Eden Hazard to rescue the tie and send the Blues stumbling over the finish line. Chelsea have a history of doing things the hard way, but this takes the proverbial biscuit. How times have changed since the thrilling comeback against Napoli. The tense finale at Stamford Bridge against Benfica may have suggested otherwise after Javi Garcia’s equaliser on the night, but Raul Meireles’ late thunderous strike gave the Blues a win that shone of competence and professionalism over the two legs against the Lisbon side. Then came the ultimate test in the Nou Camp, where the Blues defied all the odds and then some against the defending champions of Europe – before, of course, beating Bayern in their own back yard. That completed a truly astonishing cycle of events that resulted in John Terry lifting that famous, big-eared trophy in the Allianz Stadium a little under ten months ago. Frankly, this current Chelsea team does not even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath. From the admirable courage and conviction the Blues showed under Roberto di Matteo to Rafael Benitez’s spectacular shambles, Chelsea are certainly a team in transition – worryingly for them, though, firmly in reverse gear. Their league performance may show the slightest microcosm of improvement on last season’s sixth-placed finish, but having earned the ignominy of being the first European champions to have their defence ended at the group stage; Benitez’s charges are hardly doing their best to change the perceptions of avid viewers across the globe. Another passionless showing leaves the Blues on the verge of elimination from a competition they quite obviously have no interest in; a competition that they have an obligation to perform in. In being pipped to the post by Juventus and Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stages, the Blues’ defence of the trophy ended prematurely, albeit on the most anal of technicalities. Granted a lifeline by finishing third in their group, the Blues entered the Europa League with much at stake – including their pride, and their UEFA co-efficient. At this current rate, the Blues may not even be in the Champions League next term, but having disastrously exited the competition at such an early stage, the progression of teams such as Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia has threatened the side’s first-seed status should they qualify for next season. Though the heroics against Napoli, Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern last term looks enough to just about maintain that seeding, the Blues are most certainly on a slippery slope towards oblivion, and more consequentially, an exceedingly tougher group next time around. As if Juventus and Shakhtar was bad enough! Yet based on this lame showing, Benitez’s charges quite clearly have other things on their minds. Whether it is their wage-slips or the FA Cup showdown with Manchester United on Sunday remains a matter of debate. The Europa League seems an unnecessary burden that the team seems eager to be rid of; though not in a fashion that would be too obviously disrespectful to their opposition. Consider the last round against Sparta – in fifth gear, the Blues could quite easily have blown their opponents to kingdom-come. Instead they grudgingly progressed with the minimum expenditure of effort and interest. The same can be said of tonight’s performance in the magnificent setting of the National Stadium in Bucharest. The best the Blues were able to conjure on a shocking surface was a weakly-struck effort from the near-useless Yossi Benayoun and an admittedly sweetly-hit volley from Fernando Torres (who, regardless of a respectable goals tally this season, is a certified flop in Chelsea blue) that were both two close to the goalkeeper. Substitute Marko Marin continued the trend when he shot straight down Tatarusanu’s throat late on as Chelsea made a rare attempt on goal. Whilst Steaua created little themselves in terms of clear-cut chances, they kept the ball better and ultimately warranted this first-leg lead. They won the game from the penalty spot. It was certainly a soft decision to penalise Ryan Bertrand for leaning into Raul Rusescu, but the penalty was given nonetheless. Petr Cech may have gotten fingers to it, but there was to be no repeat of his Munich heroics and ball squirmed under him to send the already-vociferous home support into ecstasy. With Rafael Benitez as good as voicing his resignation in a now-infamous post-match rant after the defeat of Middlesbrough last mid-week, it seems the players have absolutely no interest in performing for either the manager or the fans. To say this was subdued would be well wide of the mark – this was simply hopeless. Some 650 Chelsea supporters braved the long journey to Romania to see what will surely rank as one of the most underwhelming Chelsea performances in recent memory. Only Brazilian magician Oscar and skipper John Terry can come out of this game with any merit. £32 million man Eden Hazard was absolutely atrocious; the former-Liverpool duo of Benayoun and Torres (£60 million, I hasten to point out) have often belied belief with their wondrous general uselessness, but tonight reached new lows. Meanwhile, Ryan Bertrand once again showed he is simply not good enough to be Ashley Cole’s replacement – the young man has struggled in European competition particularly this season, but with a lack of support for either full-back from an astoundingly lazy midfield trio it comes as little surprise that Steaua enjoyed themselves so much down the flanks. The result is not emphatically damaging for Chelsea, who have certainly rescued something out of far-worse odds in recent times, but the simple truth lies in the fact that if it was a team better than Sparta or Steaua they were facing – with the greatest of respect, of course – this disaster of a European campaign (and season in general…) could have already come to a quicker conclusion. May seems a long time away, but on this evidence, there will be little for Chelsea fans to shout about between now and then. Scraping a top four finish may seem a lowly target for the team that won an FA Cup and Champions League double last term, but the startling reality is that this team has ever so suddenly regressed – big time. Targets have been revised from challenging for seven trophies, to scrapping it out with Arsenal with fourth-place. Rafael Benitez, who made match-winning substitutions in both matches against Sparta may be leaving in the summer, but the root of all the problems at Stamford Bridge lies most definitely amongst the playing personnel, who are crying out for a leader. José Mourinho, anyone? These are troubling times for Chelsea, and things do not look like improving any time soon.

Haha yeah, it's like Billy is hiding behind the interviewer with a loaded shotgun!

Glad he didn't go to Spurs. I have a lot of respect for him for saying that... choosing between Liverpool and Spurs is like deciding between herpes and chlamydia.

^ I think we could do with both. Time to ditch 4-2-3-1 and play a good old-fashioned 4-4-2!

It won't happen, but I'd love him here.

Otherwise seen as a goal or an assist every 110 minutes. Those stats would be far better if he didn't have Torres fucking everything up for us, and if he was any good at penalties!

Forest are 'technically' my 'local team' so I might go and grab some tickets just to see how young Sam gets on. Students get in for less than £7 at Forest. Bazzinga!

Well, we're not Barcelona, so your point is pretty invalid, right? And Barcelona's little prodigies would all go home crying to their mothers after facing defenders like Huth and Shawcross who will just kick the shit out of them.